7 Drug Rehabilitation Options That May Help Avoid Conviction And Prison Time

7 Drug Rehabilitation Options That May Help Avoid Conviction And Prison Time

You may not be aware that when someone enters into a drug rehab program, the reason they are there may be about more than just their need or desire to end their drug addiction. It may also be true that they have entered drug rehab to avoid being convicted of a drug offence and subsequently having a criminal record that inevitably follows against their name.

A criminal record is more than just some information about what crime someone has been convicted of. It can also act as a dark cloud hanging over several aspects of one’s life and can thus hinder employment opportunities or even the ability to obtain a bank account. Many people in Court are also keen to avoid the social stigma of being classified as someone with a drug-related criminal conviction.

It is little wonder that many people will choose drug rehab as an alternative to a conviction if the Court gives them this option as for the type of drug rehab program that is either deemed necessary or offered as an option, here are seven of the main possibilities.

Personal Guarantees And Why They Can Be A Legal Minefield

Personal Guarantees And Why They Can Be A Legal Minefield

If you are a business owner or major shareholder of a business, before you agree to and sign a personal guarantee relating to that business, you should seek the advice of a lawyer from www.lawyerslist.com.au, specifically, a commercial lawyer.

At its core, a personal guarantee is basically you agreeing as an individual to pay the debts of another party, namely a business. Ultimately if that business were to fail, owing monies to other businesses, or lenders, if you had signed a written guarantee for any of them, you would be liable for those individual amounts.

At first, it might seem that there is little incentive to sign a personal guarantee, however, it is often the only way in which some businesses are able to raise the finance necessary for them to get started. The choice for a new business owner is often play safe, not have the finance, and not getting the business started, or taking a risk, agreeing to a personal guarantee, and having the money they need to start the business properly.

Ignorance Is Not Always Bliss

It is important that for a business which you own, or for which you are director, that all written contracts are thoroughly checked, not only by yourself, but by your commercial lawyer, if possible. There have been numerous examples of commercial contracts including clauses which meant, when the director signed them, they were in fact signing a personal guarantee.

What Family Law Says About A Divorced Parent Travelling Abroad With Their Children

What Family Law Says About A Divorced Parent Travelling Abroad With Their Children

When couples with children divorce, normally most matters are settled amicably, and usually with the help of each parent’s family lawyer. However, a situation can arise which, to most people, would not normally seem like a problem, but for divorced parents with children, it can prove to be an issue.

Family lawyers advise that one such scenario is when one of the parents wishes to take their children overseas. Obviously, to do so, any child travelling to another country will need a passport, and this can often be the first hurdle if the other parent refuses to sanction the child being issued a passport.

This is a result of joint parental responsibility, which is the usual default position following a divorce where the couple has any children. This means that each parent has the right to be informed of and must agree to a passport being issued. Even if they already have a passport, taking children out of the country is another situation where joint parental responsibility applies.

Now there can be many reasons a parent would refuse permission, with some of them legitimate and some not so much. With the latter, it could be that the absent parent simply wants to make things difficult and refuses permission out of spite.

In this scenario, the other parent could apply to the court to have joint parental responsibility order amended so that matters like passports and overseas travel were excluded. They would certainly have a strong case as the Family Court does not look favourably upon parents with joint parental responsibility being belligerent, especially if their actions are not in the best interests of their children.

5 Things to Be Aware of When Signing a Franchise Agreement

5 Things to Be Aware of When Signing a Franchise Agreement

Entering into a franchise agreement can be very exciting, especially if you’re hoping to build a strong business that you can call your own. However, franchise agreements are also fraught with danger if you don’t understand them, which means that you should always speak to a commercial lawyer before signing anything.

If you don’t understand the fine-print of your agreement then you could run into trouble in the future. We’ve therefore put together a short list of the top 5 things to be aware of when signing a franchise agreement.

As always, this shouldn’t be taken as professional advice, but rather as information to guide you in the right direction.

  1. Be aware of any rules for operating

Different franchises have different operation rules that you will have to follow. Make sure that you’re familiar with any operating rules that your franchise has put into place, including things like operating hours, pay rates, software usage and the exact goods and services that you can sell.

  1. Understand termination policies

It’s extremely important to understand termination clauses from both parties’ points of view. I’d recommend speaking to your lawyer about this, as you don’t want to get it wrong.

If you don’t understand termination policies then you might find your contract terminated unexpectedly. On the other side of the equation, you might find that you can’t escape from your contract even when you want to.

How do Courts Make Child Custody Decisions?

How do Courts Make Child Custody Decisions?

If you’re going through a particularly difficult divorce then you might find it hard to agree on who should get custody of your children. Although it’s always in your best interest to come to a mutual agreement with your ex, this simply isn’t possible in some cases.

If this happens, then you will need to go to court to work out who will get custody of your kids post separation. This is a worst case scenario, and if it comes to this you should always employ a family lawyer to help make sure that you get the best outcome possible.

With this in mind, we’ve covered a few of the things that judges will look at when they’re making child custody decisions.

When will child custody cases go to court?

Usually we advise ex partners to try and discuss things in a friendly manner before attempting to take them to court. If this isn’t possible and one or both parents aren’t happy with the current arrangements, then they can apply to have their child custody case heard in front of a judge.

Before this can happen you and your lawyer from Family lawyers Perth, will need to gather an array of information and documents to help prove your case, otherwise you might not achieve the outcome that you want.